Dodge
by Vivian Hale
Summary: Eryn Henderson has raced all her life. Drag racing that is. She loved the speed and skill it took to keep the cops away. Until one cop wasn't shaken. Then her world was turned upside down and inside out.  Rated T for violence, just in case
1. If we get caught

If We Get Caught

"I don't know about this," Eryn Henderson frowned, shaking her head, her brown black hair glimmering in the street's lights. The moon was already up and it was almost midnight.

"Come on, don't tell me a police car scared you," Derrick Paxton taunted, "We've both been in Juvie several times." Every time, they had done their best to behave and get out sooner than the kids who kept messing around. The last time they had been in though, the cops had warned them it would be the **last time **before they would just be put directly in jail.

_Doesn't mean I liked it_, Eryn thought to herself, but instead replied, "Fine, whatever." She couldn't get the policeman off her mind though. Blue eyes, disapproving gaze, and dark hair flitted in her mind's eye.

"This time, we get to find out what jail's like. _If _we get caught. C'mon. We've gotten better at dodging cops," Derrick continued.

"I said fine!" Eryn snapped irritably, pursing her somewhat full lips. She absolutely hated when Dare, as she called him, wouldn't shut up. It was also part of the reason why the cops found out she had been involved in a few of the little drag races around town.

"Sorry," Dare mumbled, "Come on Eryn."

Eryn huffed and got in the fixed up Ford Focus RS, which was black with a single red racing stripe. It was time to meet up with the others and race.

"So you finally made it, Dare. You brought Dodge right?" a rough looking character in a leather jacket leaned against his own fancy drag race car.

_I thought leather was out of style. _Eryn put an unreadable look as the leather jacket bullied Dare a bit.

"Enough," she eventually said in a gruff voice, "I didn't come here to talk."

"Fair enough," leather jacket nodded, studying what he thought was an adolescent boy. Eryn had her hair hidden under her cap, but it wasn't long enough to be suspicious anyways. She wore large clothes that swallowed her small frame and padding on her shoulders to make them look broader. She wasn't well endowed, so her girlish frame wouldn't be obvious, since it was very dark, with one flickering street light a little ways off to her left. She kept her head down so he wouldn't see her face.

Finally, a shadowy figure held up a white flag and waited for Eryn, Dare, and leather jacket to get in their cars. As soon as they revved their engines, the white flag was dropped. The goal of the race was to get to the other side of town without getting caught by the police.

Eryn shoved the accelerator to the floor, feeling the tires grip the road and swiftly gain momentum. She sped off down a side road she knew was a shortcut. This would be a breeze. She knew the whole town by heart and knew what the best shortcuts were. The only problem? The police station was right by the best shortcut. She would have to get by there before one of the cops came back from night duty. She had memorized the schedule, so at 12:15 exactly, she would have to be gone from that area. She sped around a curve. _Almost there…_ She flashed by the police station and relaxed a bit.

Until she saw lights in her rearview mirror. _What? This can't be happening! _The cop was on her tail. She had to lose him _and _win the race. She spun the wheel and zipped around a sharp curve. She growled when the cop easily followed and she revved the engine of her car. She pulled all the tricks in the hypothetical hand book. The police car kept coming. Eryn was beginning to panic. She was losing her touch. Usually by this time the police car would have been lost. She peeked back and somehow, her eyes riveted to a small red symbol near the front. _Autobot. _Eryn nearly slammed to a halt at the thought. Where had it come from? She certainly never heard of it anywhere before.

She sped up and floored the gas pedal. Forget about the race. She had to get out of here.

-0-

As of 10/21/11, Athena ordered this rewrite. She's ruthless, I tell you. RUTHLESS.


	2. This is not my day

This is Not My Day

Minutes later, another police car pulled onto the road beside the first. Eryn paled. This was the worst night of her life. Two cops doubled the chance she would get caught and…

_CRASH! _She flicked her gaze to the rear view mirrors and gasped as she saw the second police car ram the one with the Autobot symbol. She blinked rapidly, making sure her eyes worked. _What…?_ In a split second, she spotted a purple symbol on the second car. _Decepticon. Wait…what's a Decepticon?_

Then she heard something that sounded like crunching metal that had been auto tuned. The Autobot Datsun was making the eerie sounds. She cringed and sped up. There was no way she was sticking around to find out why the cops were fighting. The Decepticon cop revved his car's engine and bumped right into Eryn's car's bumper.

"NO!" she shoved the accelerator into the floor and her car leapt forward as if it had been struck. The police car just kept coming. She sped around a sharp curve, but both were still right on her tail. The rather strong looking Con police car smashed into her car's side. She managed to zip ahead a bit more. The car suddenly turned off. Eryn blinked in surprise, but kept going to get away from the first. Then she paled when she saw the powerful Ford Saleen suddenly pull out right in her path.

Right as Eryn thought she would be crushed with the impact of her car against the stark black and white Saleen, metal pieces began shifting and the car seemed to grow. A silent scream caught in her throat, pure terror rising in its wake. The car grew into a huge, snarling, metallic form, with razor sharp teeth and glowing crimson eyes.

Eryn turned the steering wheel hard to the right, barely missing the car's monstrous form. Her eyes went to saucer size as she saw the Datsun suddenly shifting too.

_This is _**not **_my day…_was the only thought that crossed Eryn's mind.

She noticed the first car…monster, had sharp blue eyes, but he wasn't attacking _her_. He was after the red-eyed…they were "he's", right?

The crimson eyed creature suddenly took out a pair of flails and began to spin them so rapidly Eryn only saw faint glinting blurs in the moonlight. A flash of red shot out of a gun the Datsun had in his arm. The Con tried to knock the gun away, but "he" seemed to have been shot. The fight continued as a pinkish liquid began dripping from their wounds.

While they were distracted, Eryn zipped away.

-0-

_I did _**not **_see that, it can't be real. _Eryn shivered and quickly went inside her dimly lit apartment. She no longer cared she had lost the race.

The phone was nearly ringing off the hook as Eryn grabbed it.

"Eryn? Where the heck did you go?" Dare's voice held a mixture of anger, annoyance, and worry.

"I'm fine," Eryn interrupted. She shuddered as glowering crimson eyes flashed through her mind. It had been real alright. She couldn't have imagined something so horrific.

"Yeah, whatever. Your voice says otherwise."

"Leave it alone," Eryn retorted firmly, "I need some sleep. Did Leather Jacket win?"

"I won." She could hear the pride in his voice and imagined a big lopsided grin crossing his lightly freckled face. Her mouth twitched up in a corner.

"Nice job. Good night Ricky," Eryn snickered softly at the outburst at the other end as she hung up. He hated that name. She yawned, took a quick rinse off, and flopped in bed, out like a light.

-0-

The next morning, promptly at eight, Eryn drove up to her class, grumbling under her breath about early morning insanity. Dare snickered.

"Good morning sleepy head!" he teased, smirking.

"What's so good about it?" Eryn mumbled, flopping in her seat in the first class of the day. The classes were rather uneventful, with notes, paper airplanes, and a report. Eryn breezed through and headed out to her car. At 20 years old, she was halfway through the local college's course for accounting and business. It made good money and it wasn't too bad. She had a head for numbers. She had nearly reached her car, when she noticed a shadow.

That's when the day stopped being uneventful.

Eryn's head, books, and papers connected to something very solid and in her way. She squeaked as the scrambled to keep her things together and peered over them. Then she stared in surprise at the very blue eyed and brown haired man standing before her.

"Sorry!" they both exclaimed at the same time. Eryn tittered nervously as the man chuckled.

"It wasn't your fault, you couldn't see over your books very well," he grinned, causing Eryn to smile shyly back, and then duck her head.

"I'm Shane Donovan, and you are…?" He looked at her curiously. Something seemed oddly familiar about him, but Eryn couldn't put a finger on it. Those blue eyes looked an awful lot like…the policeman's. She paled slightly, but forced herself to stay calm. He didn't have the dark hair the policeman had and was much younger looking to boot. She was paranoid, but she wanted to get home and away from reminders of the police in general. She had gathered her things by this time and was itching to go home.

"Eryn…Eryn Henderson," she replied with a slight smile, "I'm sorry; I need to be going…"

She quickly hurried off to her car, dropped her things in the backseat, and blew out a big breath as she settled into the driver's seat. _Well that was awkward… _she thought to herself as she put her car into gear and pulled away.

A chill ran down her back as she spotted a police car in the rearview mirror. She stared, searching for an Autobot or Decepticon symbol anywhere on the car. She sighed as she mentally face-palmed. She was definitely paranoid, but who wouldn't? After last night, she wouldn't be surprised by anything. She turned down a different road, and gave a relieved sigh as she saw the police car wasn't following. She sped up and zipped down the road and grinned. It was a good thing this road was a higher speed limit. She hated driving in a zone of less than 40 miles per hour. She relaxed as she felt the power of her Ford rumbling under her in the 60 mile per hour zone.

Suddenly, a blue gray vehicle flashed out in front of her from a nearly invisible side road. Eryn slammed on her brakes, but it was too late. The crunching of metal and the sounds of breaking glass was the last thing she heard before everything went black.

-0-

;D I love cliffies. Sorry for the wait, it seems my muse likes to write by hand better than typing. =/ Who do you think Shane is? Reviews are appreciated!

-0-

As of 10/21/11

Athena, my ruthless co-editor ordered a rewrite.

and a sandwich.

but that's besides the point.

Oi

Me: You aren't getting that sandwich. Make your own. o.x

and definition of Oi- Like... OI YOU FAT LARD QUIT EATING


	3. Off the radar

Off the Radar

A soft moan drifted from Eryn's mouth as she slowly came to. She ached all over. It felt like a bulldozer had decided she would make a great pancake, and then a horse had trampled her for good measure. Neither comparison quite reached the level of pain she thought she was in.

"Aw P-" a man's voice came, sounding vaguely familiar.

A strange, almost metallic growl echoed in her ears in reply.

"Dad, I didn't mean to. I didn't… I… I wasn't paying attention…"

"You're apologies won't reverse what has happened. How many times has Stella told you to watch where you're going?"

A sigh came, "More'n I can count…"

"Now you see what happens. Now remember, got it?"

"Yes sir…Dad, she's waking up."

Eryn slowly opened one eye. A very familiar brown haired, blue eyed man was standing nearby, along with the police officer that had spooked her. Her eyes shot open and took in the rather large room quickly. It appeared to be a sort of hospital room, with white walls, sheets, and sterile equipment.

"Sh-Shane?" her voice came out raspier and harsher than she would have liked, "Where…am I?"

Shane shifted uncomfortably under the police officer's eyes, "You're in a hospital. I'm sorry. I…I ran into you."

Eryn coughed slightly, a soft moan came out before she could stop it, "It…its ok…I'm alive…aren't I?" She glanced uneasily at the officer. Shane gave a short bark of a laugh before immediately quieting when she cringed at the sound.

A pounding headache made her head swim for a moment before she focused on the cop.

"I'm Officer Donovan. Shane is my son," his sharp blue eyes seemed to miss nothing, "Don't worry about the repairs to you're car. He will be happy to pay for it." He sent a telling glance at Shane, who scuffed his feet on the floor and nodded. He seemed like a rather young man, almost out of his teens, but not quite.

Eryn almost nodded her head, but a flash of pain shot through her skull and she winced again. She closed her eyes briefly, and then heard yet another voice clearing his throat.

"Eryn Henderson?" the voice asked gruffly.

"Yes?" Her voice crackled a bit as she opened her violet eyes again to meet yet a pair of calm brown eyes.

"I'm Doctor Langston," the gray streaked, brown haired man rumbled, "You should be able to go home tomorrow, barring complications."

_Well isn't that reassuring…_Eryn frowned to herself as another wave of pain ran through her head.

"Er… Doctor Langston…do you have any Tylenol?" she nearly whimpered, hating her weakness. He nodded and disappeared out the door for a minute.

She took the pill as soon as he gave it to her with a glass of water. The pain slowly faded to a faint throb. Slowly but surely, she drifted off into a fitful sleep.

-0-

_Crimson optics glowed in the pale moonlight. A snarl ripped through the red and black femme's vocals as two blades shot out of her wrists into her hands. **Not going down without a fight. **She struck at the red Con's guns, trying to sever them. The Con growled menacingly, but it didn't daunt the former Deceptifemme a bit._

"_You can't make me go back to the energon thirsty Cons. They never tried to go back for me. Except for you. Why can't you see that we are only pawns in their little death game?" the femme growled._

"_What did that 'Bot do to you?" the return snarl came._

"_She showed me the truth, that's what."_

_Little electric sparks glinted from the swords as their blades clashed. The battle continued. Suddenly, all sounds ceased, and the black and red femme trembled, transformed down to her Ford Focus alt mode, and froze in her spot. The femme didn't say anything more._

"_Shade? Shade? SHADERACER!" the Con's voice called. Silence was his only answer, and he whimpered. His sister…How could he have done it? Suddenly, he collapsed into his alt-form, shuddered, and went still._

-0-

Eryn woke the next morning, more refreshed than she had been in days, possibly weeks. Because of her nightly escapades as a drag racer, she hadn't gotten a decent night's sleep for quite a while. She still felt sore, but it only felt as if she had a few bruises here and there. Doctor Langston allowed her to go home and waved as she left the hospital.

Dare would berate her for getting in an accident so soon after the cops had been after them. She could hear his voice saying, "Aren't we supposed to stay off the radar? Or did you forget?"

No, she hadn't forgotten. It hadn't been her fault, after all. Something worried her though. Her car had been fixed in a record amount of time, and, the fact that Shane had been on that road so quickly after she had run into him. It didn't make sense…or did it?

-0-

And duh, I don't own TF. I do however own Shane, Eryn, and Dare. No stealing. Ask, and I may let you borrow. Maybe.

-0-

**Noella50881**- I'm so glad it looks interesting. :3

**emh**- You're awesome too for reviewing ;P and I love the name too. ;)

**magicrazy101**- I'll try to update every weekend, but well see where the plot bunnies go ;) And as for the police man… You shall see.

-0-

As of 10/21/11

Athena says that I have a special talent for writing beautiful works that don't make much sense.

Athena: *YAWN* well it hasn't died yet. Let's see how long it keeps twitching.

Me: -_-' thanks a lot Athena. XD

Note from Athena: Recently, I learned of Tylenol actually being used in hospitals. However, its super strength and most people just ask for something for pain, not Tylenol specifically.


	4. Are they after us?

Are They After Us?

Dare waited impatiently at The Outlook, or what he and Eryn had called their meeting place for practicing drag racing away from town, named for its beautiful view and cliff at the very end. Eryn usually was very prompt, but something seemed to be wrong. First of all, she hadn't even completed the race a few nights ago. Then she had gotten in an accident, although it wasn't her fault. It never was.

A few minutes later, Eryn drove up in her Ford Focus. It looked shiny and new, except for a scuffed area on the door that looked like the paint was peeling. The mechanics did a fine job otherwise, Dare had to admit. He would help her later with the scuffed doors.

He watched as she climbed out of the car. She seemed a bit wobbly and there were deep bags under her violet eyes. Dare frowned. She was still not getting enough sleep. As her friend and 'brother,' he had to get onto her about it. He did care what happened to her, even if he did seem to nag quite a bit.

"Why aren't you getting enough sleep? I told you to limit the racing. Why didn't you just call and say you couldn't come?" One could always tell when Dare was concerned. He always rambled.

A corner of Eryn's mouth quirked up as she calmly replied, "You would have come an hour later asking all about the accident and why I was avoiding you."

Dare shut up at that and ducked his head sheepishly. She was right, even if she was younger by a year or so. He grinned.

"Touché."

Eryn grinned back and sat on her car's hood. She could always depend on Dare, even if it was to annoy her incessantly by nagging. She knew what she was doing, but she also knew he was right about the sleep. A deep sigh made her 5'5" frame relax.

"Are we still going to practice today despite your concern? Do I get a head start for compensation?" Eryn winked, pulling a puppy face.

"Nope," Dare smirked, quickly clambering into his car. Eryn shook her head and slipped back into her car and started the engine. Both revved their cars' engines' and took off, tires squealing a bit on smooth rocks at the quick take off.

"You lost your edge Dodge! You aren't going to beat me today!" Dare shouted through the window.

"Fat chance Dare, you don't have the years of experience I do," she shot back, laughing as she sped by his Ford Fusion Sport V6. She had the window down and let it whip her hair back as she raced around a bend and flashed past the huge rock that marked finish line, finally slowing down.

"Aw Dodge…" Dare mock whined. Eryn only snickered. She had always been the better driver. Absentmindedly, she rubbed the scuffed area of her car's doors. A few paint chips fell away in her hand and she frowned, looking down at it. Her eyes widened as she saw spots of purple behind the chipping paint.

"Dare…" She began rubbing the other loose chips off. She sat back on her behind as she stared at the purple, bird-like Decepticon symbol staring right back at her after she had cleared enough of the chips. Her chest felt tight as she held back a yelp.

"My. Car. Is. A. Fragging. DECEPTICON!" She squawked. Dare stared at the symbol, unable to believe his eyes. He had been noticing the symbols recently too, and could only come up with one thing.

"Are they after us?"

"What do you mean 'us'?"

"I've seen 'em too. There have been several around… especially that Saleen cop car."

"They turn into giant robots, you know that right?"

"…Yes."

"What are we going to do?" Eryn nudged her cars door, suspiciously.

"Well ours seem to be dead."

"OURS?"

"Mine had a symbol on the hood. I painted over it."

"We're screwed if they suddenly decide to come alive again," Eryn whimpered a bit, rubbing her head.

"Calm down Dodge. We've had these cars for five years. They would have done something by now if they had 'come alive'," Dare soothed her, giving her a small hug, "Buck up. We'll be ok. We know what to look out for."

"How…how long have you known?"

"A week or so. Cop car came after me too."

Eryn only groaned. Her somewhat normal life was slipping down the drain. She hated not knowing where this would all go. She liked being prepared. Dare silently studied the two cars and sighed.

"Lets race some more."

"Mind if I join you?" A deep voice called to them, standing a few feet away, with an older Datsun model not far behind. Dare raised a brow, a bit surprised. Eryn's brow furrowed. Why hadn't they heard that car drive up? Nobody could have driven so quietly, especially on this dirt and gravel road. Not to mention she hadn't heard the car door shut.

"Nice model you got there," Dare commented, studying the sleek vehicle, "Which Datsun is it?"

"A Datsun 280ZX Turbo," the man replied, his startling blue eyes twinkled at them, but narrowed when he spotted the purple symbol on her car, "Who are you?"

Eryn frowned a bit as Dare answered, "I'm Derrick and that's…" The man was watching her, a suspicious glint in his eye.

"Eryn. What's your name?" she finished, eyeing the man distrustfully.

"I go by Smoke," he replied easily, then asked quietly, "What's with the purple symbol on your car?"

Eryn's eyes widened as her face paled, "I don't know. Do you know what it is? Have you heard the ideas of… robotic beings?"

"I've heard rumors…" Smoke leaned against his car, but then shrugged, "It hasn't done anything has it?" An amused smirk crossed his face. Eryn frowned. He probably thought she was crazy.

"Apparently not. I've had my Ford for five years," Eryn replied, huffing. Eryn had also heard the rumors. Conspiracy theorists making speculations on disturbances relating to vehicles with strange symbols. The newspapers said it was a bunch of baloney and that it probably had to do with some gangs. So most people out there didn't know about the strange robotic creatures that seemed to hide in plain sight with their… shifting metal bodies that turned into alt-modes. _Alt-modes? What the heck is an alt-mode? I meant a car!_

Smoke nodded, a thoughtful expression crossing his face before a crooked grin replaced it, "Ready to race?"

"You bet!" Dare quickly climbed in his car. Eryn sighed and got in hers. A slight grin crossed her face. A new challenger? Bring it. She revved her car's engine, and all three took off down the dusty road.

Eryn had to admit this man knew how to handle his Datsun. He coaxed speed out of it she didn't realize was there, but she wasn't pushing her Ford all out either. This was going to be a quick race. She floored the gas pedal and crept up beside Smoke's Datsun, but just as she thought she would win, he sped up yet again and won. Surprised, she pulled to a stop and got out as Dare stopped his car, in last place once again.

"Nicely done," she nodded to Smoke with more respect. She hadn't heard of him before, but she wouldn't mind racing him again in a true drag race, even if it meant her losing another race.

"You too," he acknowledged, the crooked grin coming into play as he ran his fingers through his dark hair, "So what's your nickname? I haven't heard of 'Eryn' in any drag races."

Eryn sighed. She didn't want anyone to know about her name of 'Dodge,' aside from Dare, but Smoke seemed trustworthy so far, partly because of his knowledge of the 'Cons and 'Bots.

"Dodge," she finally replied, quietly, "Do not tell anyone, please. I have kept this hidden for quite a while, and I'd rather not be caught now."

"Dodge?" Smoke stared at her incredulously, "_Dodge_?" To say that he was shocked was an understatement. Eryn merely nodded. An unreadable look crossed his face as he stared at her. He seemed to drift off into thought, but minutes later he shook it off.

"I need to be going. I hang around here, if you want to race again, just give a shout. I'll hear you," he grinned as he climbed back into his car and drove off.

Eryn and Dare stared at each other, and then shrugged and continued practicing for a little while. All in all, it had been a strange day.

-0-

_A small robot with bright blue optics skittered up to the two silent cars, a Ford Focus and a Ford Fusion Sport V. A tiny maniacal laugh followed. _

"_Good, good. So much better for Lord Megatron. He will be pleased. Shaderacer will go… missing along with a guard. Good, good," the spidery Con got to work on the two cars, pulling a cable here, and inserting information there. Soon, his job was finished. The Con symbols were gone. Now to get them to a safe place…_

_The Con thought for a moment, and then sighed. This was as good a place as any. He fiddled on his Internet, chortling about how simple these fleshie machines were. Minutes later, he skittered away again into the shadows cast by buildings._

-0-

Vivi: This took longer than I thought it would, as a minor case of writers block came along. BUT. Things will be happening quickly in the next chapter. Thanks to Thanksgiving break coming up, I should be able to update a few times then. Enjoy!

Athena: This one's a favorite of mine :3 and we shall see what thanksgiving break has in store for us... life has a way of getting in the middle of the road and causing five car pile-ups.


	5. Did you eat him?

Did You Eat Him?

"About time you got here," Dare teased as Eryn pulled up at The Outlook. Eryn waved a hand in response, muttering under her breath about traffic and why slow drivers shouldn't be allowed on the freeway.

"Talking about your own driving?" Dare smirked, "_Grandma_."

"Says the guy who has yet to beat me in a race," Eryn retorted. Dare made a face at this.

"Touché."

Eryn grinned and revved her car's engine. Dare quickly got back in his car and started it up. With a squeal of tires, both racers took off

-0-

"Aw scrap," Dare groaned 30 minutes later, "I have to get to work. See ya Dodge." He quickly pulled away and disappeared down the dirt road.

Eryn sighed. _So much for practicing for an hour_, she thought. She climbed out of her car and perched on the hood. _Maybe I should try to beat my practice times…_

Suddenly, her car's engine revved, almost sounding as if it had been thinking of the same thing. The worst part of it was the fact that Eryn had the key to her car in her hand. She paled and slid off the hood in a flash, shaking. She stared at her car. _This can't be happening… Is…is it coming out of stasis? What the scrap is stasis anyway?_

The car seemed to vibrate as these thoughts raced through Eryn's head. Her heart pounded as she backed away from her car. The sound of an engine came from behind her, and she turned slightly, hoping it was Dare coming back. No such luck, but a familiar blue Datsun pulled up. The friendly red face of the Autobot insignia caught her eye, smack dab in the center of the hood. _Wait, that wasn't there before…_

Eryn's eyes widened as she heard shifting metal and stared in horror as the Datsun quickly changed to a huge blue robot with a yellow chevron on his head. Eryn skittered away as the robot bent down and picked up _her_ Ford Focus.

"Hey, what are you doing with my car?" her voice squeaked as she backed away a bit more, "Where's Smoke? Did you _eat_ him?"

The blue Autobot made a noise that could only be laughing.

"No Eryn, I _am _Smoke. Smokescreen to be exact. I'm afraid your car is a Decepticon. She's coming out of stasis.

"What? _She_?" if possible, Eryn's eyes passed dinner plate size, "There are _she's_?"

"Yes Eryn," Smokescreen replied patiently, "You'll need to come with me."

"Why?"

"One, your car could attack you if I let you go home; two, we need to know how much you know. You've met Prowl and Shadow," Smoke reached out a hand to her. Eryn squeaked and backed into a tree.

"We?"

Smokescreen plucked her up easily and settled her in his hand, "There are more of us, you know. You saw Prowl and Barricade fighting."

"You mean those police cars that were chasing me?"

"They were following your car because she was giving off an energy signature," he replied with a matter of fact tone. Eryn gripped his huge metal fingers that were made up of linked metal that kept her in his palm. The metal was warmer and softer than she had thought it would be.

Eryn sat there as Smokescreen made his way to a large building with a giant garage door. It wasn't too far from where she had been racing, and it had a long road that went off toward the nearest town. An airstrip was off to the right of the building and Eryn wondered if seekers lived in the building too. _Seekers?_

The door slid shut behind them, arousing a sense of foreboding in Eryn. _No way out now…_

"Ratchet!" Smokescreen called, "I have Eryn and her Con car."

"Good, bring them in," a rather gruff sounding voice came from a room nearby. Eryn nervously fidgeted as they came into the room. She peered around. It was exactly like a huge hospital room, only with more tools that would be used on cars. Another Autobot was in the room, and he looked like an ambulance in robot form.

Smokescreen set the car in a blocked off area and set Eryn on a metallic table that seemed to be a hospital bed. The ambulance 'Bot began to scan her car. After a few minutes, he went over to her.

"How long have you known about us?" he asked calmly, as if the question and answer session would take a while.

"About three weeks," Eryn replied thoughtfully, "but… I keep thinking and saying things I don't know the meaning of… like seeker for example. What the scrap… er… heck are those?"

Ratchet raised a metal brow, "Seekers are Cybertronians that fly. Typically they are what you would call jets."

The questions continued, and Eryn found she knew more than she had originally thought about these autonomous beings from an alien world. She knew the different factions, which included the Decepticons and the Autobots, and she knew a bit about their terminology. The rest she had seen in papers or heard in rumors. She hoped she would never meet the Cons, but with her car being one, well…it would only be a matter of time.

"Thank you, Eryn. I have one more question. Where did you get the name Dodge?"

Eryn blinked up at the medic, surprised, "Well…I guess since I started racing, five years ago. It was because I was good at dodging the cops and such…you won't rat me out will you, being an Autobot?"

Ratchet eyed her speculatively, optics narrowing in thought, "We'll see."

He then went back to scanning the red and black Ford Focus. Eryn sighed, but she noticed something in the corner of her eye disappear. _What the scrap? _She quickly looked directly at her arm, but it was there, whole and healthy. _I could have sworn it just…blinked off. Probably just my blind spot._

-0-

"_Where is she?" growled a huge gray mech that towered over the little spiderlike mech, "Shaderacer had better be safe."_

"_Lord Megatron, I have hidden her well, very well. Her signature is cloaked, and she won't remember a thing, unless someone fixes her memory circuits. She wouldn't, and couldn't have the Autoscum fix it, they'd kill her first," the little mech rambled. Shaderacer was a very important intelligence Decepticon, and if caught, could mean the Autobots gaining too much ground on the 'Cons._

"_Stop your rambling. Where is the other?"_

"_Same, Lord Megatron, and he will guard her if she comes out of stasis."_

"_Good. Keep an eye on them, but don't go too close."_

"_Yes, Lord Megatron," the little mech skittered off to do his surveillance._

-0-

Vivi: Another chapter up, and sooner than I had planned! Reviews appreciated for both Dodge and Designation: Breeze and needed for more chapters to be posted. Enjoy!

Athena: We really enjoy seeing what we did right or wrong and what you guys think of a chapter. Especially for Designation Breeze.


	6. Die of what?

Die of What?

Eryn flopped on the slick and slightly cold medical table, sat up again, and watched as Ratchet began to study the scans he had run on her Ford Focus. She was strange symbols scrolling across a screen on a giant computer. _Must be their language… Cybertronian?_

She noticed Ratchet's brow furrowed. Then he sent a sharp glance at her and seemed to be thinking about something that disturbed him. What could disturb a giant robot? Another giant robot? Eryn snorted to herself.

"Eryn, Smokescreen will take you home for today," Ratchet turned to Eryn, "He will be your guardian while we find out about your car. I apologize for the inconvenience."

Eryn studied him thoughtfully and finally nodded, "I understand. I would rather not be killed by my own car."

"Alright, I need to check on something. Stay here until he comes," Ratchet replied abruptly and left. Eryn swung her legs back and forth a few times, relaxed. The door hissed open again. Smokescreen stepped through and glanced around.

"Did you _eat_ Ratchet?" he raised a brow at her. Eryn stared at him a long moment before laughing.

Smoke smirked and held out his hand to her instead of grabbing her this time. Eryn appreciated this fact as she gingerly stepped onto his hand. Quickly, she sat down so she wouldn't fall. Smoke made his way out of the Autobots' home and closed the enormous door to the building behind him.

Eryn squealed in surprise when he transformed around her, with his hydraulics hissing and the shifting metal clinking, and then everything snapped into place.

"A little warning would have been nice," Eryn growled at him. Smoke revved his engine with a grin.

"Yeah, yeah," he replied dismissively, pulling away from the base and heading down the road toward Eryn's house.

A few minutes later Eryn felt a cramp in her side and winced, rubbing at it. She tried to relax, but as they continued their journey, she felt a migraine begin to make her head pound. _What the heck is going on? _She whimpered slightly as the headache and cramp grew worse. She twisted in her seat, trying to get more comfortable and sooth her now painful cramp in the side.

Around ten minutes later, Eryn was about to cry out in pain. She couldn't speak, but whined at smacked the steering wheel, trying to get Smoke's attention. He drove faster, and Eryn yelled in pain, paling as she stared at her clenched fists. _Why are my hands… flickering? _She cried out again as Smoke sped up again, curling into a fetal position. _I'm going to die. Die without letting Dare know. Die of what?_

Suddenly with searing pain, she flickered out of existence. Silence reined as Smokescreen made a U-turn and headed back toward base.

-0-

With a jolt Eryn stared around her. The pain was gone, but her perspective was way off. She hadn't died? Why did it feel like something was pinching her hands and feet? Why was she back at the Autobot base? Why had she been in so much pain? Why had her hands been flickering?

"Ratchet? Ratchet!" She peered upward and spotted the medic standing nearby.

"What happened? Why was I flickering? That _hurt_," she told him, annoyed. Suddenly she realized her voice didn't sound right.

The voice she heard couldn't be her own. It seemed to have more mechanical undertones. She cringed. Had the Con awakened? She shivered, but she heard the shudder and glanced at herself. She then stared. Four chains were attached to her wheels. _Wheels?_

"What the heck happened?" she snarled, realizing she was no longer the Eryn Henderson everyone knew. Flashes of her past started to flash before her eyes. She wasn't Eryn. She never had been Eryn. She covered a whimper with a growl.

"Do you remember who you are, Decepticon?"

Eryn's Ford Focus shifted at the sound of Ratchet's voice and looked up at him, quiet.

"My designation… is Shaderacer."

Ratchet gazed at her silently, and then nodded. Eryn, or Shaderacer rather, tried to force down the well of memories that wouldn't stop flashing before her eyes. Training for the Cons, making her father proud, becoming a soldier.

The memories began rushing through her head so fast that she let out a tiny moan and went into stasis again. Eryn Henderson had never existed. Eryn had been merely a holoform.

-0-

"_Lord Shockwave. Shaderacer has come online."_

"_Well where is she?" the mech with one optic snarled, "She has the last vital information!"_

"_We lost her signal sir, but before we did, we found an Autobot signal with hers."_

_Shockwave slammed a fist into the desk._

"_Why wasn't anyone with her?" he demanded._

"_A guard had been with her, but he doesn't remember. Remember what…"_

"_I know what that blue-opticed mongrel did! Why wasn't anyone watching and making sure her programming stayed in place?"_

"_Megatron ordered that no one was to go near her. He was afraid the Autobots would get her sooner."_

"_Well they have her now, don't they?" Shockwave seethed at the soldier, "Find her, and bring her back. If they get the information from her, it will be a dark day for the Decepticons."_

"_Yes Lord Shockwave. As you command," the soldier quickly hurried to obey orders. Primus, the new Decepticon leader was as ruthless as Megatron before the former leader had been destroyed in the Mission City battle._

_Shockwave's optic twitched. Of all the Cons to be captured, it had to be one of the intelligence members. Megatron had been a fool not to keep a closer optic on her._

-0-

Vivi: Surprise! :3 Bet you didn't see that one coming. ;)


	7. She's Awake

She's Awake

Voices floated around Shaderacer as she slowly awoke from her stasis once more. She moaned softly. Her head still ached, but it was much duller. Her hand twitched, and she then knew Ratchet had repaired her so that she was in her bipedal form. Her weapons were missing, but that was standard protocol for prisoners. She then quieted her thoughts and listened to the voices, some of which she recognized, and some were new.

"Shaderacer is the intelligence bot they called Dodge. The Cons led us to believe Dodge was a mech. No wonder she was able to hide so well," the familiar low voice of Smokescreen drifted to her audios. A smile faintly curved her mouth up at one end. She _had _done well, but that was now the past. The Autobots knew, and she had been planning to join them, but her half brother had stopped her. They had gotten in a fight, one she remembered all too well.

-0-

"_Shade! You're an idiot! The others will kill you if you go back! The Autobots would do the same since you are a Con."_

"_They accept Cons who see the errors of their ways. Yeah, they'll throw me in the Brig, but at least I'll be on the right side for once."_

-0-

They had fought with their blades, but both had triggered something that had forced them into stasis. Shade didn't know how or what happened after that, since the next thing she remembered was driving to her senior year of high school as a human. False memories had been placed in her data banks. By who, she had no idea. She probably would never know, but she had a sneaking suspicion Frenzy did it. The little freak.

"She's waking up," Ratchet's gruff tone caused her to online one optic. She stayed quiet, but onlined the other optic once she caught Ratchet's eye. Shade looked around at the small group nearby. A Bot a little bit older than her stood nearby with a curious expression on his face. He was gray, and she thought if he were in alt-mode, he would look vaguely familiar. She shook off the feeling and turned to another Bot with a red chevron and Police detailing that immediately drew her attention.

"You?" she breathed. It was the same Datsun that had chased her before.

"My designation is Prowl. I'm sorry for startling you that one night by transforming. Barricade was after you."

Shade merely nodded. She remembered Barricade. The ruthless Con had sometimes been a decent friend when things were going well, but when she failed to bring some vital information in, he turned on her. She knew of his nature to get others to trust him, and then break the trust later.

The final Bot in the room had her awareness straight away. This Bot was a head taller than all the rest, and was blue, with flame decals. He was the leader of the Autobots, Optimus Prime. She had seen him in the distance and during battles, but she was still a little in awe of him. He had the commanding presence of a leader, but not the terrorizing nature of Megatron. The last Prime had humility enough to not be overbearing, but he had the firmness to keep everyone in line just by a command.

"I trust her systems are fully functional and memory stable, Ratchet," his deep voice was like the waves on a shore, steady and resonating.

"Yes Prime," the gruff voiced medic nodded.

"Prowl, take her to the brig for questioning," Prime sent a piercing glance at Shaderacer. She stayed quiet even when he nodded to her, "You have nothing to fear." He then walked off.

She was then led to the lowest level of the base. At one end of a long hallway was a large room with five cells on each side. Prowl put her in the first cell, which only had a recharge berth and room enough to transform. Almost immediately after she had settled to sit on the berth, Prowl began asking questions.

"Name and aliases?"

"Shaderacer and Dodge."

"Who are your parents? Siblings?"

"My father's designation is Shockblade, and my… mother's is Black Hole. I have one brother named Dare." Dare…Shade's optics widened a notch. Derrick "Dare" Paxton was her brother. This meant he had no idea he was Cybertronian, unless he had done the reprogramming. He couldn't have, he didn't have the qualifications or the know-how. Prowl frowned at this bit of information and quickly typed something into his data pad he had to fill out her background. Shade sighed. She would at least have her friend and brother. The Autobots were probably going to head out right away to get him.

"Rank?"

"Spy and intelligence."

"ID number?"

"381492."

The questions continued, but Prowl only touched on the basics. Shade noticed that he asked quite a few questions about her family, but she let it go. It didn't matter why. It wasn't like she was going back to them.

Even if she had wanted to; her mother wouldn't accept her back. Black Hole was aptly named. Black holes were beautiful, yet cold, cruel, and deadly. Black Hole was a very pretty black femme, but was frigid in demeanor, and vindictive and lethal in battle and in life in general. Her father on the other hand, was warmer toward her, and on occasion, protected her from Black Hole's wrath. Her father had been the one to teach her how to fight with blades. He had been the one to train her in stealth. There hadn't been any other sparklings on base, except for Autobots the Cons had taken for bait and soldiers.

Prowl soon finished the questions and left her. She sat thoughtfully awhile, wondering about one minor detail in her genetic makeup. Her optics were purple. Both Black Hole and Shockblade had red optics.

-0-

"_I'm sorry. The sparkling…didn't make it. The spark was just too weak," the red and black mech told a navy femme. Her sparkmate's dejected face convinced the femme, but something felt wrong. Wouldn't she know that the sparkling was gone? She felt a very small bond and tested it. It wasn't to her other sparkling. Suddenly, it fizzled and vanished. She sobbed softly. Starstrike was gone. _

_Her sparkmate gently hugged her for a second, but then backed off, frowning at her._

"_It's your fault you know. I told you to eat more energon. The sparkling apparently didn't have enough strength."_

"_I ate enough. I was full even…" the femme whimpered. How could he blame her? She had done her part and cared for her sparkling. Why did he blame her? It wouldn't bring Starstrike back. It couldn't bring her back. The navy femme sobbed brokenly._

-0-

Vivi: I'm not completely pleased with this, but the informative chapter had to be done. The next chapter should be better (: And _two _visions of the past for you. Energon cookies to those who can guess who the mech and femme in the second vision are before they are revealed in…oh…maybe three chapters later? c(:

Athena: has anyone ever noticed that c(: looks like a baby with a pacifier?

Vivi: -_-' Thanks 'Thena. :P


	8. Getting to Know You

Getting to Know You

Shade stared out of the metal box Prowl put her in. Well…it was better than that, and much bigger, but it was still a metal box. She sighed and looked around at the gray walls. Couldn't it at least be a little less… dull? Why weren't there any guards?

Oh. There was the guard. He was pitch black, with bright blue optics, and almost stubby antenna. He walked in and flopped down on a transformer sized roller chair in front of a computer and moaned. "I hate guard duty, I hate being bored, and I hate Decepticons..." and then he swiveled around and studied Shade.

Shade retorted dryly, "And I hate complainers." Who was this mech anyway? He wasn't much older than her...and now he was staring. She shifted a little uneasily. Staring never boded well for her.

"My name," he started, and cockily jammed a thumb in his direction, "is Night. I'm not supposed to _care_ what your name is because you're the enemy, but why don't you tell me anyway?" He grinned at her, which was barely visible in the dim brig. The mech was literally all black, and his mouth was apparently just very dark grey.

Shade raised a brow at him, "Well, if you don't care, then why should I tell you?" If he was going to be cocky, she might as well give him a hard time. She wouldn't be the enemy once she could request to switch sides. Sure, they'd watch her like a hawk, but it was better than going back to the Cons. She sighed softly to herself.

Night snorted and positioned himself so he was sitting with the back of the chair against his chest and his chin resting on the top of it. "I said I shouldn't care. Doesn't mean I don't," he gave an odd sort of half smirk. "I used to be a con too, it's ok," he shrugged.

Shade eyed him warily, but then studied him carefully, faint recognition dawning. He had been one of the sparklings taken from a school or something. She had played with him once. She didn't see the sparklings again. Probably because they didn't want her to become sympathetic and help the Autobot sparklings once they started using them for bait or soldiers.

Night turned back around when she didn't say anything else and logged on to a computer sitting near by. "Welp. Might as well annoy the sister and the best friend while I'm here," he muttered and started typing away at warp speed. "Dear... Shadow... blah... blah... love Saber... Dear Saber... blabby blab blab love, Shadow, Send," he grinned and smacked the enter key before turning back around. "Entertainment," he clarified with a wink.

Shade raised both brows this time, "If that was my brother, he'd be here in five... four... three... two... one..." Suddenly the gray mech from earlier rushed in and tackled Night.

"You're such a jerk man!" he yelped, "Your sisters slagging _bonded._ And she's way older!" Shade actually laughed. This mech reminded her so much of Dare.

Night, for his part, screamed like a sparkling and laughed hysterically. "Help! Help me!" he shrieked through his laughter. A red seeker with one red eye and one blue eye stuck her head in the brig, threw an empty energon cube at them both and walked off. "Real mature you two!" she yelled and kept walking.

"I didn't do it!" the gray mech called after her. Shade merely snickered in her cell and watched. Maybe being in this brig wouldn't be so boring after all. The mech noticed her and got up surprised.

"Hey Eryn...er...Shaderacer. Sorry about running into you at school and on the road," he scuffed his foot sheepishly, "I'm learning to drive more slowly..."

"Wait... that was you? You're..." Shade's optics widened.

"Shane Donovan, also known as Shadow," the gray mech, Shadow, sighed.

Night stood up as well and grinned at Shadow. "He gets all shy and lovey around girls," he stated, snickering at Shadow. The mech was an obvious jokester.

Shadow sent a dirty look at Night, "I do not. At least I have better manners and don't pull pranks like _that_ on my best _buddy_."

Shade snickered, "I have to say...I'm more inclined to agree with Night on this one. You act like my brother, Dare."

Night snickered again, and wiped at his eyes. Some fluid had stated leaking out of them from laughing so hard. "Oh man..." he sighed, "I really need to start writing. That was beautiful. I think Saber really liked the part about how when you watched her sleep it was like heaven. I bet you liked that part too," he smirked before looking at Shade. "Dare-who? You got a brother?"

Shadow growled slightly at Night, "No, I didn't." Suddenly, a look appeared on his face that Shade immediately recognized as revenge.

"Yeah. Dare," Shade shrugged. _Watched her sleep? Like heaven? Ick. If it was a girl Shadow actually liked it would be cute. _She grinned to herself.

Night grinned and took a step towards Shade, ignoring Shadow for now. "Would I know him? What's he look like?" he asked, curious.

"Probably not. He's red, and has a Ford Fusion Sport V6 for an alt-mode," Shade replied, also curious.

Night wracked his processor for all of two seconds. "Nope. Don't know him," he grinned and turned back to Shadow. "You know this femme's brother Shadow?" That was when he caught the vengeful look Shadow had on his face. "...Shadow?" he squeaked.

Shadow switched to an innocent expression, "Nope. Don't know him." Just then, Night's data pad pinged, saying he had mail. Shade sent a suspicious look Shadow's way.

Night the tablet out of subspace and started reading through it. Interestingly enough, his cooling fans kicked on and his temperature went up several degrees. "T-that's not true," he stammered.

Shadow smirked, a huge grin on his face, "Then why are you stammering buddy?" Shade watched, curious. What caused such a reaction in the prankster? She had assumed being a joker, he couldn't be easily teased. Apparently, Shadow knew something about him.

"I...I ...C'mon dude, that's mean! You can't just accuse a guy... of...of ... scanning a femme! C'mon!" he whined.

"I think I just did. And you did, didn't you?" Shadow smirked, shoving Night slightly. Shade narrowed her eyes in thought and then stared at Shadow. He was talking about _her_ wasn't he? She frowned.

"Not like _that!_" Night huffed, shoving Shadow back. "I mean there's hey-how-are-you scans, and then there's hey-HOW-are-YOU scans you know?"

"I never said it was a hey-HOW-are-YOU scan, you just assumed that's what I meant..." Shadow snickered, "So, are you going to ask?"  
>Shade narrowed her purple optics at Shadow. <em>Yup, definitely like Dare.<em>

"Ask what?" muttered Night, who was somewhat wide-opticed and mortified.

"Oh don't give me that look. Ask for a date," Shadow snorted, snickering, "Sparkling."

Shade rolled her eyes. She felt bad for Night.  
>"Hey, bug off," she told Shadow. Shadow looked at her with a bit of surprise. It seemed he hadn't expected her to stick up for Night.<p>

Night squeaked and stared back and forth between the two other Cybertronians in the room. "No!" he said firmly. "I just met her! W-what are you t-thinking you crazy freak?" he demanded. He seemed to calm down suddenly in a few seconds, though his fans kept running at high speed. "Sorry," he muttered.

"It's fine," Shade shrugged, sending a look at Shadow.  
>"I'd...better be going, my mom is looking for me, I have to train!" Shadow hurried out of the room a minute later. Shade growled softly after him. <em>He'd better run.<em>

Quickly, he pulled up the messaging system on the tablet and starting typing rapidly. He stopped after a moment, studied his work, and grinned smugly, stuffing the tablet back into subspace.

"What did you do for revenge?" Shade grinned at Night. He wasn't too bad for a guard. A few seconds later, she heard Shadow yelping and complaining about 'best buddies who didn't play fair.' Shade couldn't help laughing.

"I sent a list of... confessions... to his dear, loving Danni," Night smirked. He perked up for a few seconds as someone messaged him before scrambling to his chair. "Gotta work now," he muttered.

Shade nodded and settled back on her berth, sighing. Since Night was the only other Cybertronian in there, she started to study him. He was fun and...she couldn't help but notice he looked...cute. Handsome. _Wait. What? What am I even _thinking_? _She stopped her thoughts short and tried to turn her mind to other things, like the request to join the Autobots.

Night perked up again, looking towards the door. "Sis?" he asked.

"Night... you've been relieved of duty," the same red seeker from before growled. "Unless you want to stay here and keep me company..." she trailed off and shoved him off the only chair in the room, effectively stealing the computer from him. Night didn't seem to mind and sat on the floor instead.

"That's Shade," he pointed to the femme, and then to the Seeker, "and Shade, that's Saberquake, my sister." Prowl suddenly glared at everything in the brig in general.

"Go the brig does not mean go to the _brig's computer and play games!"_ he ordered. Saberquake rolled her eyes and locked herself in a cell. Night blinked and quickly got back to work as Prowl walked away.

Shade blinked and then nodded to Saberquake, and then tried to call after Prowl, "Um...sir?" She shifted nervously. She hadn't had much time to think of how to request to be an Autobot, but she would sure try.

Prowl stopped and turned around, then walked to her cell. "Yes Shaderacer? Do you need anything?" he asked.

Shade gathered up her nervousness, hid it, and hoped for the best, "I would like to join the Autobots." Her spark pumped a bit faster, nervous, yet hopeful. This was her chance to join the 'Bots without someone stopping her.

Prowl simply studied her for a long moment. "I'll discuss it with Optimus," he finally said. Shade nodded and sighed. Optimus would probably let her join, but she knew she would be guarded heavily when they let her out of the Brig. Prowl nodded back to her and walked away. Night continued working at his computer, and Saberquake was apparently asleep.

Only minutes later, Shade heard a loud yelp of joy from a femme. She looked up, startled. Footsteps raced toward the Brig, clanking down the hallway, but not nearly as heavy sounding as Prowl's.

Then she heard a voice cry out, "My sparkling!"

-0-

Vivi: "My sparkling?" What now? :3 You'll just have to see. ;)

Athena: :D yay waiting.

Vivi: Oh, and Athena co-wrote this chapter so I could use her character, Night in this story. :3 Saberquake also belongs to her.


	9. Looking Back

Looking Back

A navy femme with a black racing stripe flashed into the room and slammed to a halt in front of Shade's cell. _What on Earth? _The thought that the femme was slightly crazy occurred to Shade just as quickly as she dismissed it. The femme didn't have an insane look to her. Her fans were whirring, but it was only from the excursion of racing to the Brig.

"Let me explain," the navy femme stated, "My designation is Electrostar. You were and are my sparkling, Starstrike."

Shade studied her a bit warily. Was this a ploy to keep her as an Autobot if she thought of turning on them? She turned down this thought too. Electrostar seemed to radiate truth as she spoke. Besides, she knew Autobots wouldn't lie. How could this femme be her dani though?

"Shockblade was my 'sparkmate'. I had two sparklings with him. One was the gray mech you met, Shadow. The other was a femme I never saw. I was told she had died. Shockblade lied to me. Both when we were bonded by a quack, and when he said you had died because I was too weak. Then he 'died' when my town was destroyed. I didn't even know there was a chance until now that both of you were alive."

-0-

_Star stared blankly across the destroyed city. No survivors. Not one. Even her sparkmate had died. One thing stayed in her mind. Why hadn't she died with Shockblade? She felt the bond die. She knew she only had a minute before she would meet him in the Matrix. Her offlining never came. She kicked a torn metal wall, causing a cloud of metal dust to rise up, causing her to cough. _

_The bond had been a sham, a fake, all along. She should have known there would have been more of a connection. She should have felt his presence in the back of her mind. The bond had only been a telepathic-like link. Just so he could read her mind. He had been a 'Con all along. The information hadn't done him much good anyway. He was dead. _

"_Good," she rasped harshly in the still air. All he was to her was an empty shell of what a true sparkmate should have been. He hadn't loved her. He had used her, beat her, and lied to her. Her Starstrike was dead because of him. He _helped _the monsters that tore apart the city. _

_The only thing left of the school where Shadow had been that day was the flat metal foundation. She choked at the thought with a heartbroken sob. Her precious, kind, _good_ Shadow was gone. She would never see him again._

_Then another thought came. Shadow wasn't dead though. She felt the bond. He was alive. She _would _see him again, and she would fight with every last ounce of her strength. The Cons would pay for what they had done to her family. They would pay. _

_She scanned the horizon one last time before making her way out of the rubble and toward the city her sisters lived. They would help find Shadow._

-0-

"But what does this have to do with me?"

"Let me finish," Star replied quietly, and then continued her account of what had happened, "That's why your stepmother, Black Hole, could never bond to you. There was a very small bond to me, from right when you were born. I couldn't even feel it, it was much too weak. Once a sparkling has a bond, no matter how small, to their mother, no new mother/daughter bond can be formed. That's how Shockblade finally realized I was still alive."

Shade began to see the truth in her words. In fact, she remembered when she had finally saw the truth behind the Cons when her father avoided her questions.

-0-

"_Hide Shade! The Autobots can't get the information you have," Shockblade warned Shaderacer, "Run as fast as you can, and don't stop until you are sure it's safe." The Autobots weren't attacking, but Shockblade decided to hide his daughter away so she wouldn't get any more ideas about those Autobots. She had been asking too many questions. Why were the Autobots more peaceful? Why didn't they attack the Cons first? Why did the Cons attack in the first place? What was the use in harming humans? And especially this last question._

"_Dad, why don't I have a bond to Black Hole?"_

"_Now is not the time to ask stupid questions!" she hadn't heard that tone of voice from her opi, ever. He had snarled at her. Fear spread through her systems as her optics widened. _

"_Oh my sparklet, I will tell you later, alright?" He wouldn't of course. She knew it. He knew it. _

-0-

It was too late. The damage had been done. Shade saw that she wouldn't get her answers. She was determined to get away from that point on. He had sent Dare after her, hoping her half-brother would be able to convince her to come back. It hadn't worked. The Cons lost their informant when Shade got away and was taken to the Autobot base.

Shade was shocked as looked back at her past. This femme was her _real _Dani. Her _real _mother. There was no way she could have made all this up. No wonder Black Hole didn't have a bond to her. She had wondered a long, long time about that. Now she found that Black Hole couldn't have bonded to her "sparkling" anyway. Her own father had lied to her all these years. Her real mother was an Autobot. An Autobot that would give her the answers she needed. Black Hole was only a stepmother. A stepmother that never loved her.

Star then went on to explain what had happened with her life since her town was destroyed. Her part in the war, reuniting with her sisters on Earth, and bonding to Prowl was all explained from Shade's mother's perspective.

"Dani…" Shade finally whispered when she was through, gazing at Electrostar through the bars. She could see the family resemblance now. The optics, the form… and the racing stripe. All these were from her real mother. Star's mouth quivered in a happy sob.

"My sparkling, Starstrike… you're home," Star whispered, and then with a soft, half wry laugh, continued, "You can go by Shaderacer. From what I see, it fits you better…"

"No Dani… at least _you _can call me Starstrike, I don't mind…"

Both femmes reached out with a bond, finally forming a stronger mother/daughter bond that should have been if it hadn't been for Shockblade's interference and kidnapping of his own daughter.

-0-

Vivi: Surprised? :3 Such a twisted, contorted family history Electrostar has… It may be written in a shorter story to explain more of what she went through. (:

Athena:**cuddles rabid bunnies** Thanks for the gift! I shall breed them and teach them to make me sandwiches.

Also.

Some shall occupy the space under Vivi's porch.

SHALALALALA LA LA TI DA.

Vivi: XD um, no room under my porch. That's for my wolverines. XD

Athena: OMW. YOU HAVE WOLVERINE UNDER YOUR PORCH?

Vivi: Wrong wolverine. The animal. XD

Athena: I wish hot guys lived under my porch. ):

Vivi: ROFL


	10. Introductions

Introductions

Shade was wiggling her doorwings out of nervous excitement. Today was the day she could explore the base and get out of the gloomy and boring Brig. She heard Prowl's footfalls coming down the hall and bounced a bit on her pedes. She couldn't wait to be able to have some freedom after a couple of weeks in the Brig.

Prowl walked into the Brig and studied Shade for a moment. "Today's the day," he sighed, and unlocked the door. "Just remember to stay out of the marked areas on your map we sent you. Electrostar is waiting to show you to your room."

Star peeked in just then, her head spikes twitching, the only things showing that she was excited to see more of her adopted daughter around the base.

Prowl didn't show as much excitement that Shade was getting out, but did grin at Star as he walked away. "Scatters in our room still?" he asked.

Star grinned back at him, "Of course. She's napping, so don't wake her up like last time." Shade thought for a moment, and then grinned. Scatterstar was Star and Prowl's sparkling she hadn't met yet. She heard that the little femme was adorable though. Star motioned to her.

"Your room is a few rooms down from mine," Star told her, "So after you see the room, we can visit your little sister."

Prowl seemed unsure as to whether he should accompany Star and Shade, or to go back to Scatter. He made up his mind though, and went back his room to work and watch over his daughter.

After a few minute's walk from the Brig, Star showed Shade into a rather plain room, with only a closet and a recharge berth. It reminded Shade of the Brig, only without the bars. Star seemed to notice her slight trepidation and recognize its cause.

"We left it bare so you could decorate as you see fit. The supplies are in your closet for now, and if you need help, just ask," Star smiled gently. She hugged Shade gently, and then backed off with a start.

"Oh, I nearly forgot. You'll need this for messaging and there are a few games to kick boredom on here," she pulled out a datapad from subspace and handed it to her daughter. It similar to the one Shade had seen Night using to prank his sister and her full-brother.

"Isn't this what Night used to tell you things Shadow did?" The question from Shade caused Star to laugh and nod. Since there were several types of datapads, Star had given her a more multipurpose one, that could message, play a few games, hold notes, and had an alarm.

"Exactly. Hopefully though, Shadow won't do the same to you," Star grinned.

"I hope not," Shade snickered. The two femmes finally made their way to Star's room, where small chirps had just started up.

Star sighed, but smiled and commented as she walked in, "Looks like Scatter woke up anyway."

Prowl sighed and nodded. "And now she wants attention," he grinned faintly and picked scatter up. "Hush you," he muttered. Barricade, who had been relaxing towards the back of the room snorted.

"That my new slave Star?" he asked, studying Shade.

"No Cade, this is your sister," Star sent her troublesome adopted offspring a look, "Be nice."

Shade raised a brow at Cade and stayed a bit closer to Star, but then purred at Scatter. The little blue gray femme had cuddled into Prowl and was purring and chirping contentedly, hugging his neck. The purr from Shade caused her to look up and chirp. Shade wondered what the sparkling was saying until Star answered Scatter.

"Her name is Shaderacer."

Barricade yawned loudly. "How exciting," he said dryly. Star rolled her eyes at Cade and rubbed his head with a playful growl. Prowl didn't even look at Barricade, and instead chirped quietly back at Scatter.

"Can you wave hello?" he asked.

Shade grinned as Scatter chirped and waved a little hand, and then looked back up at Prowl with a questioning look and held out her hands to Shade, as if asking permission to be held by Shade. Shade purred softly and whistled at the baby that looked like a tiny replica of Star, only with a chevron and doorwings like Prowl.

Prowl handed her over gently. "Just hold her close to you. She's old enough that she can support herself pretty well now," he instructed Shade.

Shade gently held the sparkling close and studied her, purring gently. She missed being around sparklings, and even Bots her age. She gently rubbed Scatter's doorwings, causing the little one to purr and cuddle closer with a small chirp. Scatter looked at Prowl with a little grin. Shade almost thought the sparkling was happy there was another femme around, after having two brothers and a father, and just Star.

Prowl smiled back at Scatter. "Do you like your sister?" he asked. Scatter chirped the affirmative, then clicked, whirred, and whistled something that Shade knew only parents would understand.

"What did she say?" she asked softly, rubbing the sparklings doorwings some more. Scatter purred loudly, completely relaxed.

"She really likes you," Prowl grinned. "She's glad you are here."

Barricade snorted from the back of the room. "Yep. Sparklings love it when they have just one more person to purge all over and annoy," he told Shade.

Prowl gave him a look and replied dryly, "Then you should love Shade."

Shade snickered at Prowl's reply as Scatter rolled her blue optics at Cade and chattered at him. Star snorted from her desk, and sent Cade a look too before going back to her report. Shade settled and studied the group. This definitely was an interesting family. She couldn't wait to learn more of the quirks that went with them and the intelligence 'Bot inside of her squealed with glee.

"I don't care what you haven't done, Squeaky, you're a silly little sparkling. Stop chattering at me, I'll flick your nose," Barricade replied to Scatter as he picked up one of Prowl's tablets and started attempting whatever game he happened to find there.

"Star, control your demon," muttered Prowl as he went back to work, content with knowing that Shade knew how to handle his little daughter.

Scatter chattered more rapidly at him, ending with a slightly annoyed growl. Star sighed and tossed a rag at Cade and stood. Barricade yelped and sat up, growling faintly.

"Cade, find something better to do than taunting your little sister," Star flicked his nose lightly, and then leaned against Prowl's chair, muttering, "He's your demon too now."

"Fine, I'll do something else..." he muttered, "Prowl, you know where Light is?"

Prowl studied him before answering. "Yes. She's with her trine. I wouldn't pester her either," he answered. Shade grinned at the exchange and soothed the irate Scatter with a gentle purr.

"I'm not pestering anyone," Barricade replied, sounding almost annoyed, before walking past Shade. He completely ignored her, except for one almost-glance and a faint growl. His whole appearance seemed to say 'I'll deal with you later'.

"He's usually like that Shade," Prowl sighed. "I'm sorry."

Shade gave a half snort, "If he's usually like that, he's way better company than the Cons usually. Thank you for allowing me to be apart of this." She made a vague gesture to encompass her surroundings, a small smile forming on her face plates. Prowl smiled back and glanced at Star, seeming a bit awkward about it all.

Star grinned, hugged Prowl and then turned to Shade, "I...we are very glad too. I got to see my sparkling femme after all these years...and she's on the right side."

Shade grinned back, happy and content. Nothing could possibly be better now. Unless her dad joined the Bots...

-0-

Vivi: Oh wow. Can you believe only a chapter left? Yes, I know, I'm sad too. BUT. There will be a sequel (: So don't cry just yet. Cute fuzzy chapter, which I enjoyed co-writing with my cohort, Athena :3

Athena: This one was fun. I don't know if Barricade seems a little out of character here... hm. I guess being raised by Star might do that to a 'bot. *cuddles Ravage thoughtfully*


	11. Whispers and Shadows

Whispers and Shadows

_Voices whispered in a room, barely lit and furnished. Shadows of a mech and femme played on the wall as they talked. The plans had to be made, and they had to be executed perfectly in order to work._

"_I want to bring her back within a week," the mech rumbled impatiently, "Nevermind the scum, I can handle them easily."_

"_Dear, I don't doubt your bravery, but I doubt it will work within a week's time. Patience is the key, and then you may strike. You know we can't afford to lose that precious bit of information," the femme's silky voice showed doubt in his strength and bravery, but she covered it well with a soft laugh, "If you need any help…"_

"_No. I won't need help," his shadow jerked on the wall. He didn't want to waste time. He wanted to go there now._

"_Love, wait until the month is up. The adjustment will have been completed by then. Then wait another month before making your move…"_

"_Don't tell me what to do femme!" he snorted harshly, "I know what I'm doing."_

"_Then I suggest you _wait, _love," the femme's voice hissed a bit, her tone growing frigid at his words, "And remember who _helped _hide that precious information so well."_

"_I'm sorry," the mech muttered abruptly, "I will wait."_

"_Good," the silky tone was back, "Now get some rest love, there's only a few orbital cycles left."_

_The mech only nodded, staring blankly at the wall for a moment. He would do it and win. There was no other way._

-0-

Vivi- I realize this is very short, but this is merely an epilogue to this story… or should I say a prologue to the next story? ;) I have enjoyed writing this, and the new story will be up soon!

-An orbital cycle is a day, according to .com.


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